This December, Cape Town’s Youngblood Gallery becomes the newest home of the Maison’s celebrated Solaire project, transforming Bree Street into a glowing celebration of global creativity and sunlight. Painted in Veuve Clicquot’s iconic Yellow Pantone 137c, the gallery stands as a beacon of warmth and optimism from 4–21 December as it hosts Emotions of the Sun, the Maison’s international photographic collaboration with Magnum Photos.
Following acclaimed showcases in Milan and New York, this iteration brings together forty works by eight Magnum photographers, each exploring the sun as an emotional force across five continents. The collection resonates naturally in Cape Town, where brightness and creative boldness shape the city’s cultural tempo. “The sun is our ultimate muse,” says Thomas Mulliez, President of Veuve Clicquot. “Cape Town’s light and its appetite for creativity made this a fitting next chapter.”
The launch event on 3 December deepened the exhibition’s connection to place. Hosted by Nomzamo Mbatha, the evening welcomed photographers Cristina de Middel, Newsha Tavakolian and South Africa’s own Lindokuhle Sobekwa as guests of honour. Their conversation - an intimate exchange on light, memory and geography - brought emotional depth to the project. Sobekwa’s homecoming was particularly moving. His series, Blooming in the Sun, photographed across the landscapes and communities that shaped him, anchors the show in local luminosity and lived experience. “Seeing the work here, in the light that raised me, gives it a different weight,” he shared. The celebration continued on First Thursdays, inviting the city into an immersive fusion of art and joie de vivre.
Inside the gallery, visitors encounter an intricate spectrum of global sunlight: Steve McCurry’s meditative Mount Fuji sunrise; Cristina de Middel’s theatrical, colour-drenched ode to Salvador de Bahia; Trent Parke’s monumental Australian scenes; Alex Webb’s layered portraits of Oaxaca; Nanna Heitmann’s contemplative images from Spain; Olivia Arthur’s quiet French summer; Newsha Tavakolian’s luminous Iranian narrative; and Sobekwa’s tender exploration of South African spring. Individually distinct yet thematically entwined, they create a unified visual language of solar emotion.
Complementing the exhibition, the Maison introduces the Sun on Your Plate Café, a collaboration with culinary curator Seth Shezi. His menu interprets sunlight through flavour, colour and texture, echoing the optimism of Veuve Clicquot’s Yellow Label. Visitors can also browse the exclusive gifting boutique featuring personalised collectables and limited-edition summer pieces - creating a multisensory experience that blends art, taste and craftsmanship.
In the coming weeks, Youngblood Gallery will host exclusive tours, La Grande Dame dinners and Bold Conversations - intimate gatherings that continue Veuve Clicquot’s tradition of celebrating audacity, community and Solaire spirit.
Tickets to Emotions of the Sun are R200 via howler.co.za and include a glass of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label plus access to the exhibition, Sun on Your Plate Café and gifting boutique. Tickets for La Grande Dame dinners and Bold Conversations are also available via howler.co.za.
Location: Youngblood Gallery, 70 Bree Street, Cape Town
Opening times: Monday–Sunday, 10am–6pm
Credits
Images: Supplied
